On December 6, 1990, Amadeu Antonio died in a hospital after being attacked by rightwing radical skinheads in Eberswalde. Antonio had come to East Germany as an Angolan contract worker. His brutal murder has achieved a sad infamy. He is remembered as one of the first victims of rightwing violence in the reunified Germany. Journalists and initiatives such as the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, founded in 1998, count more than 200 deaths.
Amadeu Antonio came to East Germany on August 3, 1987 with additional Angolan contract workers. He wanted to study aviation technology, but was trained as a butcher and worked at a slaughterhouse and processing operation in Eberswalde. When the Berlin Wall fell, the situation changed dramatically for him and other contract workers: the annulment of the contracts with their countries of origin rendered their residency status unclear, many lost their jobs and had to leave. Amadeu Antonio, who was 28 at the time, only received a residency permit because he and his girlfriend from Eberswalde were expecting a child.
At the time, Eberswalde and northeastern Brandenburg were one of the centers for neonazis. At the same time, many Black people lived there, former contract workers. Out of fear of being attacked, they only went out on the streets in groups and did not leave their accommodations at night.
Amadeu Antonio spent the night of November 24, 1990 with friends from Angola and Mozambique at Hüttengasthaus. At this time, it was the only restaurant that welcomed non-Germans. Over the course of the evening, the police informed the proprietor that a large group of youth were on the march who wanted to cause trouble. At this time, the police had already known about the gathering of neo-Nazis for more than a week. They even accompanied the mob to the restaurant. The police merely recommended that the proprietor close the restaurant. The proprietor then closed the restaurant and asked his guests to leave.
When Amadeu Antonio and his friends left the establishment, they encountered a group of nearly 50 people. The mob, armed with baseball bats and fence pickets, included both skinheads from Eberswalde and the surrounding area as well as “completely normal” youths. They attacked the group immediately.
Those being attacked ran for their lives and tried to escape in different directions. Two men from Mozambique were seriously injured with knives but were able to escape. Amadeu Antonio was not able to do so. Ten people surrounded him and attacked, passed the baseball bats amongst themselves. When he was already lying on the ground, one of the attackers jumped on his head with both feet.
Three plainclothes police officers observed all of this closely, but, according to their own statements, did not dare to get involved. 20 fully equipped police officers were also nearby, but did not get involved until later.
Amadeu Antonio suffered massive head injuries. He died on December 6, 1990 from toxic multiple organ failure and cerebral hemorrhage without ever regaining consciousness. His corpse was sent to Angola on January 9, 1991 – two hours after the birth of his son.
Judicial proceedings were first opened one-and-a-half years later.
The trial was punctuated by racist statements by the judge. The Angolan contract workers who were still living there at the time, who were, in part, heard as witnesses, were also permanently exposed to racist insults, threats and attacks in Eberswalde. Solely an initiative for the victims accompanied the witnesses to the courtroom and back home to protect them from attacks. The police were not prosecuted. Only two of the perpetrators received prison sentences.
Today, a memorial plaque in Eberswalde commemorates the murder.
The memorial campaign “Light Me Amadeu” has kept the memory alive since the 16th anniversary of Amadeu Antonio’s death. It has dedicated itself, not least of all, to a coming to terms with racism through the entire society. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, founded in 1998, also contributes to greater national visibility.
